The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1887-03-04
Orchard Culture.
Communicated.

orchards Is not practicable here, or at
least it will not pay. The ground that
is shaded will not grow corn or potatoes
to profit; wheat or oats, if grown, is diff
fcult to cut about the trees, and no
pay is. or has been realized from the
trees themselves. When we do have a
good crop of fruit, everyone has all
they want and there is no home market
for it, at price that pays for hauling,
and when, in off years the crop is light,
there is so little more than is needed for
a home supply, that the sale of the sur
plus is hardly worth the trouble ex.
cept the few farmers that may be
''tending market who can gather up
the "windfalls'' from the ground and
sell them for what they may bring
Except for winter fruit, very little is
ever picked from the tree but shaken
down and gathered into bags, baskets.
boxes or whatever is handy. This has
been the usual course of treatment that
our orchards and apples have received,
and probably nothing but the argument
of dollars and cents will avail to better
the treatment this much abused crop
receives.
Now will it pay to change the whole
business? Let us look at it in few
directions. Can we grow as good ap-
piles here as anywhere else in the
United States? Can we grow them as
cheaply as in New York or Ohio?
Upon the answer to these two questions
hinges the whole business, and these
questions apply with equal force to
every crop we can raise, the fattening of
beef cattle or production of butter.
Ny own observation has led me to
conclude that it is. largely The absence
of water and permanent pasture in large
sections of our country. making cattle
raising impossible, that has developed
the fruit interests in these sections.
There is now more milk produced in
some townships of Chester or Delaware
Co., Pa, than in large counties of
southern Md. or western N. York.
And yet with all our natural resoar-
ces for cattle, we have as good fruit and
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any land the sun shines on.
This is not saying that every acre of
Cecil Co. is as well adapted to orchard
as any acre Of Monroe, Orleans or Mia.
era Co., New York, but there is not a
farm of good land in Maryland that
could not spare one tenth of its surface
for orchards if the owner was so minded
and have as thrifty trees as need be
desired.
The idea is that we need more d.
versifed industry, and our work laid
out in such way as to furnish employ
ment to the greatest number of hands
the year round, so that all can earn an
honest subsistence by honest work. To
do this, the greater the number of the
necessaries Of life, Gas we'll as its lux
uries if we can afford them) we can pro.
duce at home, the greater will the aver
age good be promoted. Fruit we must
have, yet with all our production we go
abroad for large share, the money for
which might as we'll he spent at home
Apples by the car load are now brought
to our home markets, and our children
spend their pennies for apples that have
paid freight on six hundred miles of
railroad. Go into store for dried ap.
Piles and We will be shown N Y. evap.
Grated fruit at IL to Is cts. per Id. A
few home dried may be offered in our
country stores at 8 cents and they are
not very good at that.
Here are ferkins of apple butter on
sale put up in Connecticut, as we'll as
small fruit preserved in the same way.
The trade in Bananas has grown to
immense proportions during the past
few years. We have no need to under
rate their merits but it does not speak
we'll for our ideas of political economy
if we allow them to crowd our home
grown fruits in the markets during the
seasons of the year when it should be
most abundant. A taste for these is
easily acquired but that for our own
product seems to be natural, and the
universal craving for fruit in childhood
is we'll known. All these things show
how hard it is to overstock the market
with fruit either in its fresh condition
or in the numerous ways in which it is
preserved. The foreign demand is also
constantly increasing for all our fruit
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